Blades of the Guardians

This article is about the film. For the manhua the film is based on, see Biao Ren.
Blades of the Guardians
Theatrical release poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese鏢人：風起大漠
Simplified Chinese镖人：风起大漠
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinBiāo Rén：Fēng Qǐ Dàmò
Directed byYuen Woo-ping
Screenplay by
  • Chao-Bin Su
  • Larry Yang
Based onBiao Ren
by Xianzhe Xu
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTony Cheung Tung-Leung
Music byWilliam Wu
Production
companies
Woo Ping Pictures
Beijing Damai Entertainment
Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company
Mengqi Film
Eagle Media
Amazing Box
Huaxia Film
China Film Group[1]
Distributed byBeijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company
Beijing Super Lion Culture Group (Mandarin China)
Release date
  • 17 February 2026 (2026-02-17)
Running time
126 minutes[2]
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
BudgetUS$100 million (¥700 million)[3]

Blades of the Guardians (Chinese: 镖人：风起大漠) is a 2026 Chinese epic martial arts film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, based on the manhua Biao Ren.[4][5] Produced by Damai Entertainment in association with Beijing Dengfeng International Culture Communications Company and Woo Ping Pictures, the film stars Wu Jing in the titular role, alongside Nicholas Tse, Yu Shi, Chen Lijun, Zhang Jin, Tony Leung Ka-fai, and Jet Li.[6]

The film was theatrically released in mainland China on February 17, 2026, during the Chinese New Year.[7][8]

Plot

The film tells the story of Dao Ma, a legendary镖客 (bodyguard/escort) known as the "second most wanted criminal in the land," who is entrusted by his benefactor, Lao Mo, to escort Zhi Shilang, the "most wanted criminal in the land," whose mysterious identity is crucial to the fate of the nation, to Chang'an. This escort mission across the vast desert is fraught with danger, as various forces, including镖人 (bodyguards/escorts), government officials, and foreign merchants, are intertwined, leading to a series of life-or-death battles in the desolate Gobi Desert.

Cast

Production

Preparation and first shooting

The film was registered and green-lit in May 2023,[9][10] then in December 2023, it was revealed that Yuen Woo-ping will direct the live-action film.[11] In June 2024, it was announced that Wu Jing will produce the film and star as the lead role Dao Ma, with Nicholas Tse joining the cast.[12][13][14] In the following months, Yu Shi and Jet Li joined the cast.[15][16][17][18] The project was an adaptation of the Biao Ren manhua by Xu Xianzhe. Director Yuen Woo-ping and producer/star Wu Jing were attracted by the traditional chivalrous code and contemporary sentiment contained in the comic after reading it, and the project was positioned as a "comic book adaptation martial arts blockbuster" aimed at revitalizing martial arts films.[19]

To meet Yuen Woo-ping's high standards for action scenes, all main actors had to join the crew in advance before filming began, undergoing systematic closed training including traditional martial arts, swordsmanship, and horse riding. To closely resemble the protagonist's character, Wu Jing made long-term physical preparations, growing a beard and long hair in advance, and undergoing rigorous equestrian and action training.[20]

Principal photography officially began in Xinjiang and Beijing on July 26, 2024.[21][22][23], and the first round of shooting wrapped on November 27 of the same year.[22][24]

Replacement of the lead actress

In June 2025, when the film had been completed and entered the post-production stage, the lead actress, Nashi, who played the important role of Ayuya, was embroiled in controversy related to her educational background. The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Joint Working Group issued a notice stating that she was suspected of falsifying her college entrance examination application materials.[25] Previously, she had been exposed for being admitted to the Shanghai Theatre Academy with a lower score through the Inner Mongolia "targeted training" policy, but she failed to fulfill the agreement and returned to her hometown to work, which was suspected of being a breach of contract.[26]

This incident triggered widespread public questioning of educational fairness and celebrity privilege, and the storm quickly spread to the film project. The production company immediately removed her from the list of lead actors.[27] Since the role was involved throughout the film, simple deletion was not feasible, and the film, which was originally scheduled to be released in 2025, faced the double crisis of delay and reshoots.[28]

Second shooting

In order to minimize the impact of the Nashi incident on the film, the production company finally decided to replace the actress and organize an 11-day reshoot[29][30], Yue opera actress Chen Lijun took over the role of Ayuya.[29] According to multiple media reports, the reshoots have significantly increased the total cost of the film from approximately RMB 550 million to RMB 650 million to 700 million[3], and the film's original release date of 2025 has been postponed as a result.[31]

Visual effects

Music

Release

The film was released on 17 February 2026, with Well Go USA Entertainment handling the film's North American distribution.[4]

Reception

References

  1. ^ "猫眼专业版". Maoyan (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2026-02-02.
  2. ^ "Blades of the Guardians [MA 15+]". Australian Classification Board. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  3. ^ a b AI火花秀 (2026-01-15). "《镖人》电影陷6.5亿投资争议与春节档压力". 手机新浪网 (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  4. ^ a b Ramachandran, Naman (2026-01-27). "Jet Li, Wu Jing Martial Arts Epic Blades of the Guardians Lands at Well Go USA for North American Release". Variety. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  5. ^ "霆锋率群雄夺"镖" 易烊千玺"无声"迎战". on.cc东网 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 2026-01-07. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  6. ^ "農曆年檔期矚目！《鏢人：風起大漠》獲盛讚 陳麗君臨危受命急補戲份". 點新聞-dotdotnews (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  7. ^ "袁和平新作《镖人》定档春节四代武侠人齐聚-新华网". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2026-01-19.
  8. ^ "踏大漠，映初心。亮真功，见真章！刀光聚群影，马鸣破尘嚣。上马启程，久违了，江湖！#一部电影集齐四代武侠人##电影镖人#2026年春节，影院见！". Weibo. 电影镖人. 20 Jan 2026.
  9. ^ "影剧备字〔2023〕第1294号". 国家电影局.
  10. ^ "《镖人》真人电影《镖人：风起大漠》正式备案 漫画曾轰动日本 _ 游民星空 GamerSky.com". www.gamersky.com. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  11. ^ "《镖人》真人电影即将开拍，袁和平执导，你觉得主演应该选谁？" (in Chinese). Sohu. December 6, 2023. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  12. ^ JP, Fitriyani (2025-05-28). "Jet Li Kembali ke Layar Lebar, Bintangi Film Adaptasi Komik Aksi Bela diri Tiongkok "Blades of The Guardians'". Jawa Pos (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2025-06-30.
  13. ^ "漫改武侠！袁和平《镖人》官宣 吴京谢霆锋再合作" (in Chinese). Sohu. June 18, 2024. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  14. ^ "号称中国武侠新篇章！漫改电影《镖人》官宣：吴京监制、主演" (in Chinese). Tencent. June 18, 2024. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  15. ^ "李連杰重磅復出 吳京「鏢人」武打片頂配" (in Chinese). World Journal. September 3, 2024. Archived from the original on September 26, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "Huyền thoại võ thuật Lý Liên Kiệt tái xuất màn bạc sau 14 năm chiến đấu bệnh tật" [Martial arts legend Ly Lien Kiet returns to the silver screen after 14 years of fighting illness]. Thể thao & Văn hóa.
  17. ^ "电影《镖人》演员阵容曝光 李连杰时隔8年回归华语片" (in Chinese). Sohu. August 29, 2024. Archived from the original on September 10, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  18. ^ "李連杰復出重回武俠片 夥拍吳京謝霆鋒主演內地漫改電影" (in Chinese). HK01. September 4, 2024. Archived from the original on September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
  19. ^ "湛江晚报数字报-袁和平《镖人》官宣". paper.gdzjdaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  20. ^ "漫改动作片《镖人》将开机！解读吴京的电影版图_华语_电影网_1905.com". m.1905.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  21. ^ "吴京透露电影版《镖人》将于7月26日在新疆开机" (in Chinese). Sohu. July 23, 2024. Archived from the original on August 4, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "历时四个月，吴京主演武侠电影《镖人：风起大漠》杀青" (in Chinese). The Beijing News. November 27, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  23. ^ "再入江湖：吴京、谢霆锋主演《镖人》7月正式开机！ _ 游民星空 GamerSky.com". www.gamersky.com. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  24. ^ "历时四个月，吴京主演武侠电影《镖人：风起大漠》杀青" (in Chinese). Qilu Evening News. November 27, 2024. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  25. ^ "女演員那爾那茜「定向委培」引質疑 內蒙古通報：涉嫌高考報名材料造假". 大公文匯網 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  26. ^ 許祺安 (2025-06-19). "女星那爾那茜惹｢特權錄取｣爭議 曾出演《長安的荔枝》《封神2》". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  27. ^ "那爾那茜高考造假遭全面封殺 吳京5.5億新片凍過水". Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2025-06-27. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  28. ^ "那尔那茜从《镖人》主演名单消失，出品方回应". finance.sina.com.cn. 2025-06-22. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  29. ^ a b "小花補拍「執手尾」《鏢人》獲重點推介". 東方日報 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  30. ^ "謝霆鋒新片獲高度讚賞 越劇索女補拍11日頂走劣迹女星". on.cc東網 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). 2025-11-03. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
  31. ^ "春节档IP争霸赛启幕 多家头部影视公司抢滩布局". www.stcn.com. Retrieved 2026-01-16.
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